NFL Draft: How CJ Stroud, Bryce Young and others were rated as high school recruits

The NFL Draft is all about projections and looking forward, but let's take a minute to look back at how the top prospects were viewed as high school recruits.

A lot of the recruiting analysts were right on. Clemson defensive lineman Bryan Bresee, Alabama quarterback Bryce Young, Georgia edge rusher Nolan Smith and Clemson edge rusher Myles Murphy are among the highest-rated recruits in the past two-plus decades.

Alabama edge rusher Will Anderson, Ohio State offensive tackle Paris Johnson Jr., and Texas running back Bijan Robinson were the top-ranked players at their respective positions as seniors.

Florida HS stars and NFL Draft: NFL Draft: At least six Florida high school stars expected to go in the first round

Dolphins' draft needs: Top 5 Miami Dolphins needs entering NFL draft in late April

Dolphins and prime time: Which Miami Dolphins games should be in primetime?

And, of course, there were the players no one saw coming. Illinois cornerback Devon Witherspoon and Utah tight end Dalton Kincaid both started playing football late in high school and went unrated.

Here's how ESPN analyst Todd McShay's top 32 players in the draft were ranked and recruited in high school.

Bryce Young (Alabama QB)

Young is one of the highest-ranked recruits of all time. The Mater Dei High School (California) graduate was the No. 1 dual-threat quarterback in the nation and No. 2 overall player in the nation (Clemson defensive tackle Bryan Bresee was No. 1) in the class of 2020. He received more than two dozen Power 5 offers and took official visits to Alabama and USC.

Will Anderson Jr. (Alabama EDGE)

Anderson was the No. 1 weakside edge rusher, No. 4 player in Georgia and the No. 17 overall recruit in the nation on the 247Sports composite out of Dutchtown High School in 2020. Anderson took official visits to Alabama and Georgia Tech.

CJ Stroud (Ohio State QB)

Stroud was a four-star recruit and the No. 2 pro-style quarterback in the class of 2020 — behind Clemson signee DJ Uiagalelei — as a senior at Rancho Cucamonga High School (California). Stroud picked Ohio State over finalists Georgia and Michigan.

Tyree Wilson (Texas Tech EDGE)

Wilson was a three-star recruit, the No. 23 weakside edge rusher in the nation and the No. 68 overall player in Texas on the 247Sports composite as a senior at West Ruck High School in 2018. Wilson committed to Texas A&M before his senior year and the Aggies were able to hold on to him despite late offers from Arkansas, Florida, Texas and others. He transferred to Texas Tech after his freshman year.

Peter Skoronski (Northwestern OL)

The grandson of Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame offensive lineman Bob Skoronski, Peter is the fourth-highest rated recruit in the past two-plus decades at Northwestern. A four-star recruit out of Maine South High School (Illinois) in 2020, he was the No. 3 center in the nation and No. 113 overall player in the country. He picked Northwestern over Michigan, Notre Dame, Penn State and others.

Bijan Robinson (Texas RB)

Robinson was the No. 1 running back in the nation and No. 15 overall player as a senior at Salpointe Catholic High School (Arizona). Robinson had more than 20 offers and took official visits to Ohio State, Texas and USC. He committed to the Longhorns before his senior season.

Christian Gonzalez (Oregon CB)

Gonzalez, a four-star recruit, was the No. 31 safety in the country and No. 46 player in Texas as a senior at The Colony High School in 2020. Gonzalez initially committed to Purdue over Alabama, Miami, Michigan State, Ohio State, TCU and others but decommitted and flipped to Colorado a month before the early signing period. He transferred to Oregon after his sophomore season.

Paris Johnson Jr. (Ohio State OT)

Johnson was a five-star recruit and the consensus No. 1 offensive tackle in the nation in the class of 2020 as a senior at Princeton High School (Ohio). Johnson took official visits to Georgia, LSU and Ohio State and ended picking the in-state Buckeyes.

Michael Mayer (Notre Dame TE)

Mayer was the consensus top-ranked recruit in Kentucky and No. 2 tight end in the nation as a senior at Covington Catholic High School in 2020. The All-American committed to Notre Dame before his senior season. He also had offers from Alabama, Georgia, LSU, Ohio State, Texas and others.

Nolan Smith (Georgia EDGE)

Smith, who attended IMG Academy his final two years of high school, is the one of the top recruits of the past 20 years. The nation's No. 1 recruit on the 247Sports composite in the class of 2019. Smith committed to Georgia on Jan. 29, 2017 and signed with the Bulldogs despite also taking official visits to Penn State, Alabama and Tennessee.

Lukas Van Ness (Iowa EDGE)

Van Ness was a three-star recruit, the No. 52 strongside defensive end in the nation and the No. 1,063 overall recruit in the class of 2020 as a senior at Barrington High School (Illinois). Van Ness had a handful of Power 5 offers and picked Iowa over Kansas, Kansas State and Minnesota.

Quentin Johnson (TCU WR)

Johnson is the third-highest ranked recruit on the 247Sports composite to sign with TCU in the past two-plus decades. The four-star recruit was the No. 14 overall receiver in the nation and No. 9 player in Texas as a senior at Temple High School in 2020. He opted for TCU over offers from Baylor, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Texas and others.

Jalen Carter (Alabama DL)

The Apopka High School graduate was a five-star recruit, the No. 18 overall prospect in the nation and the No. 3 overall recruit in Florida in the class of 2020. Carter committed to Georgia before his senior year of high school. He also had offers from Alabama, Auburn, Clemson, Florida, Florida State, Miami and others.

Will Levis (Kentucky QB)

Levis was a three-star recruit, the No. 28-pro style quarterback in the country and the No. 652 overall recruit as a senior at Xavier High School (Connecticut) in 2018. Levis signed with Penn State over offers from Syracuse, Florida State, North Carolina, Iowa and others. Levis transferred to Kentucky after the 2020 season.

Jordan Addison (USC WR)

Addison was one of the top athletes in the nation as a senior at Tuscarora High School (Maryland) in 2020. He was ranked the No. 10 overall athlete, No. 12 player in Maryland and No. 275 overall recruit in the country. Addison signed with Pitt over offers from Maryland, Notre Dame, South Carolina, Virginia and others. Addison transferred to USC after the 2021 season.

Devon Witherspoon (Illinois CB)

Witherspoon played two years of football at Pine Forest High School and was named the 2018 Pensacola News Journal Male Athlete of the Year. He had offers from Appalachian State, South Alabama, Temple and UMass and took an official visit to South Alabama but didn’t commit to Illinois until four days before fall camp began in 2019.

Myles Murphy (Clemson EDGE)

Murphy, a five-star recruit and the No. 1 strongside defensive end in the nation as a senior at Hillgrove High School (Georgia) in 2020, is the No. 138-all time recruit on the 247Sports composite rankings. Murphy committed to Clemson before his senior year over offers from Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Michigan and others.

Emmanuel Forbes (Mississippi State CB)

Forbes was the No. 186 recruit in the nation, No. 13 overall cornerback and No. 2 player in Mississippi as a senior at Grenada High School in 2020. Forbes committed to Mississippi State — over offers from Memphis, Nebraska, Ole Miss, Tennessee and others — more than nine months before the early signing period.

Joey Porter Jr. (Penn State CB)

Porter, the son of former NFL All-Pro linebacker Joey Porter, was a four-star recruit, the No. 34 cornerback in the nation and the No. 4 player in Pennsylvania as a senior at North Allegheny High School in 2019. Porter picked Penn State over offers from LSU, Miami, Nebraska, Rutgers, West Virginia and others.

Jaxon Smith-Njigba (Ohio State WR)

Smith-Njigba was a five-star recruit, the No. 5 receiver in the nation and the No. 5 player in Texas as a senior at Rockwall High School in 2020. He picked Ohio State over offers from Arkansas, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Ole Miss, Texas A&M and others.

Keion White (Georgia Tech EDGE/OLB)

White was a two-star recruit and the No. 3,141 overall recruit in the nation as a senior at Garner High School (North Carolina) in 2017. White was the No. 141 tight end in the nation and signed with Old Dominion over a handful of FCS offers such as Norfolk State and North Carolina A&T. White played one season at tight end before moving to defensive end. He transferred to Georgia Tech after the 2020 season.

Dalton Kincaid (Utah TE)

A basketball standout who played just one year of high school football, Kincaid was an unranked recruit as a senior at Faith Lutheran High School (Nevada) in 2018. He signed with the University of San Diego, an FCS program. Kincaid earned All-American honors at San Diego and transferred to Utah before the 2020 season.

Anthony Richardson (Florida QB)

The Eastside High School product was a four-star recruit and the No. 9 dual-threat quarterback in the nation in 2020. An Elite 11 finalist, Richardson threw for 1,398 yards and eight touchdowns and rushed for seven scores as a senior in 2019 before suffering a season-ending injury. Richardson committed to Florida before his senior year over offers from Georgia, Louisville, Michigan, Virginia Tech and others.

Broderick Jones (Georgia OT)

Jones was one of the premier recruits in the class of 2020 as a senior at Lithonia High School (Georgia).  The five-star recruit was the No. 2 tackle in the nation, No. 3 recruit in the state and No. 11 overall player in the country. He took official visits to Arkansas, Georgia and Illinois and opted to sign with the in-state Bulldogs.

Deonte Banks (Maryland CB)

Banks was a three-star recruit, the No. 76 cornerback in the nation and No. 12 player in Maryland as a senior at Edgewood High School in 2019. He also had offers from Buffalo and Kent State but opted for his lone Power 5 offer: Maryland.

Zay Flowers (Boston College WR)

The University School (Fort Lauderdale) graduate was a three-star recruit in the class of 2019. He was ranked the No. 189 wide receiver in the nation and the No. 198 recruit in Florida. He picked Boston College over Kansas State, Nebraska, Kentucky, Purdue, N.C. State and others.

Darnell Wright (Tennessee OT)

Wright was a five-star recruit, the No. 2 tackle in the nation (behind IMG Academy’s Evan Neal, who was drafted No. 7 by the Giants in 2022), and No. 10 overall recruit in the nation in the class of 2019. The Huntington High School (West Virginia) graduate took official visits to Tennessee and West Virginia and announced he would be a Volunteer on National Signing Day.

Bryan Bresee (Clemson DL)

Bresee was the nation's No. 1 recruit in the class of 2020 and is rated the No. 18 overall recruit in the history of the 247 composite rankings. The Damascus High School (Maryland) graduate had offers from Alabama, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, Miami, Michigan, Ohio State, Oklahoma, USC and others. He committed to Clemson before his senior season.

Anton Harrison (Oklahoma OT)

Harrison was a four-star recruit, the No. 17 offensive tackle in the country and the No. 4 player in Washington D.C. as a senior at Archbishop Carroll High School in 2020. Harrison signed with Oklahoma over offers from Florida State, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio State and others.

Brian Branch (Alabama S)

Branch was the No. 3 safety in the nation, No. 8 player in the Georgia and the No. 61 overall recruit in the country as a senior at Sandy Creek High School in the class of 2020. Branch committed to Alabama a week after an unofficial visit in 2019. He also had offers from Florida State, Florida, Georgia Tech, Michigan, Oklahoma and others.

Keanu Benton (Wisconsin DT)

Benton was the No. 5 ranked player in Wisconsin as a senior at Craig High School in 2019, but he wasn't exactly expected to become a high draft pick. Nationally, Benton was the No. 1,221 overall player and the No. 86 defensive lineman on the 247Sports composite. He had offers from Iowa and Wisconsin and committed to the Badgers before his senior season.

Darnell Washington (Georgia TE)

Washington ranks as one of the highest-rated tight ends of all time on the 247Sports composite. The Desert Pines High School (Arizona) graduate was a five-star recruit and the No. 2 athlete in the country in 2020. (Arkansas linebacker Drew Sanders, who is expected to be drafted in the first two rounds, was the top-ranked athlete.) Washington took official visits to Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Miami and Tennessee and announced he would be a Bulldog at the Under-Armour All-American Game.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: NFL Draft: How Stroud, Young and others were rated in high school